Six Reasons to Fall in Love with Medellin, Colombia. Here you will discover the people, the landscape, the nightlife, the weather, the vibe, the arts, and culture.
| Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes Did you know as a Seasoned Adventure Motorcycle Touring Rider, there are six reasons to fall in love with Medellin, Colombia? Now you can visit them all when touring with MotoDreamer. MotoDreamer has run several guided tours throughout South America yearly for the past 15 years, making them “the go-to” experts on two wheels. What can you expect? In recent years, Medellin’s inspiring approach to planning and urban renewal projects has transformed this city for almost 2.5 million people. Don’t be surprised to bump into tourists who’d planned to stay in Medellin for just a few days and ended up extending their stay for weeks. Medellin locals are among the most positive, energetic, and warm-hearted folk you’ll likely meet in Colombia. You can dine on a different cuisine and party with a different flavor every night of the week. Medellin’s climate is almost always pleasant, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-20s all year round. Art and culture thrive in Medellin. It’s home to arguably Colombia’s best museum, the Museo de Antioquia. In conclusion, Hanging out in Medellin just feels good. Medellin is a city with a tragic past and a promising future. All the more astounding reasons to reserve your motorcycle adventure touring time with MotoDreamer and Medellin as the centerpiece. |
This article will showcase Medellin and the six reasons to fall in love with this rejuvenated Colombian second city.
Medellin is hailed as one of Latin America’s most progressive cities. Medellin’s inspiring approach to planning and urban renewal projects has transformed this city for almost 2.5 million people in recent years.
No longer is Medellin a notorious hotbed of crime and constant danger to a safe, vibrant, and fast-developing metropolis.
Medellin has become a favorite destination for many a traveler. Don’t be surprised to bump into tourists who’d planned to stay in Medellin for just a few days and ended up extending their stay for weeks.
Interestingly, Medellin isn’t a city overflowing with ‘attractions’ in the traditional sense. We see it as more of a place to soak up and experience rather than race around from one ‘must-see’ sight to the next.
For many, this unconventionally tourist-friendly atmosphere is part of Medellin’s charm.
Here are the top six reasons we think you too will fall in love with Medellin, Colombia!
1. The first of six reasons has to be the People of Medellin
By far, it’s the people who make Medellin such a welcoming destination for outsiders. It’s impossible not to admire the ‘Paisas’ (people from Medellin and the surrounding Andean region) for their extraordinary resilience.
Despite, (and perhaps, partially because of) harboring still-fresh memories of the horrific violence of the past decades. Medellin locals are among the most positive, energetic, and warm-hearted folk you’ll likely meet in Colombia. Given just how ridiculously friendly Colombians are in general, that’s saying something.
Take the time to get to know a Paisa, whether it’s through friends, a cultural exchange program like Couchsurfing or even a guide on one of your tours. They are sure to have a story to share – one that’s frequently filled with sadness, but most of all, with hope and inspiration.
2. The Medellin Landscape is our second reason to fall in love with Medellin, Colombia.
You may have seen photos of Medellin, a sprawling metropolis surrounded on all sides by mountains. Also, with its dozens of distinct barrios crawling their way up impossibly steep hillsides. But seeing it in person is another thing altogether. What’s more remarkable, it is a bizarre, beautiful, and almost impossible city.
Nearly all looks built seemingly against the laws of nature and physics.
Nestled in the fertile Aburrá Valley, Medellin’s surroundings are eternally lush and evergreen. What’s the best way to check out Medellin’s visually striking cityscape? From above, riding one of the gondolas on the Medellin Metrocable.
Also, perhaps the world’s most spectacular urban transit system. Make sure to take the staggeringly steep Line L to the vast natural preserve of Arvi Park to appreciate the Andean landscape in all its glory.
3. Now, remember Medellin has plenty of nightlife to fall in love with.
Naturally, plenty of Colombians are party people, and Medellin is arguably Colombia’s nightlife capital. Now that should be another reason to fall in love with Medellin. With a scene that grows more sophisticated and cosmopolitan by the second, Medellin offers something for everyone after dark.
You can dine on a different cuisine and party with a different flavor every night of the week in the El Poblado district. Poblado’s Parque Lleras, although undeniably tacky and almost exclusively catering to gringos these days.
Remember, it is still worth checking out for its unrelenting, party-hardy atmosphere alone. Poblado locals tend to relax in the quieter bars and upscale eateries around the barrios of Manila and La Florida.
Since this is Colombia, so naturally, going out for a night of dancing is a must! In Poblado, head to Kukaramakara for full-on clubbing action and live music or El Establon for a more intimate salsa experience.
The slightly more serious Son Havana in Laureles is considered Medellin’s premier salsa spot. For something completely different, check out Dulce Jesus Mio. Once, Designed to resemble a traditional Colombian pueblo, only seemingly seen through an acid-tinted lens inhabited by warped visions of American pop culture.
4. The world over, we love talking about the weather. You will forgive me please its numero 4 of six reasons to fall in love with Medellin, Colombia.
Known as the “city of eternal spring,” Medellin’s climate is almost always pleasant, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-20s all year round. You have to admit plenty of sunshine is always a positive when deciding on the reason to fall in love with any city.
The temperature is so stable that Medellin seldom gets too hot or too cold. March through to May, and September through to November, are Medellin’s official rainy seasons. Since while this time of year brings cloudy periods and the occasional heavy downpour. It’s still usually warm and dry during the day and rarely rains for hours on end.
Five is our favorite reason to fall in love with Medellin, Colombia, and it has to be its art & culture.
Art and culture thrive in Medellin. It’s home to arguably Colombia’s best museum, the Museo de Antioquia. It is dedicated to pre-colonial culture and religious art, and there is a massive exhibit of the country’s most famous sculptor, Fernando Botero. In our opinion, that is one great reason to fall in love with Medellin!
Botero’s instantly recognizable statues, known for their disproportionately chubby features, are also scattered throughout the Plaza Botero in Medellin’s Centro.
Public art has been essential to Medellin’s urban renewal, starting at the grassroots level with graffiti and murals in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Such barrios as Santo Domingo and San Javier (Comuna 13.)
Thus, giving a voice and a united spirit to once feared and ignored communities. Also, these public art projects allow local youths to tell their story while bringing color, life, and creativity to the streets.
6. The last but not least numero seis of our six reasons to fall in love with Medellin, Colombia, is the complete Vibe you will experience everywhere.
There’s no shortage of activities to enjoy in and around Medellin. From urban paragliding (!) today trips to the multi-colored, Legoland-brought-to-life village of Guatape. But the biggest reason so many travelers fall in love with Medellin is harder to describe.
Hanging out in Medellin just feels good. Medellin is a city with a tragic past and a promising future.
Medellin still has its prickly edges, to be sure, but overall, Medellin is a place of positivity and hope. Whether you’re sitting in the Metrocable, gawping at the scenery while locals simply go about their business. Or they are dancing the night away with newfound friends in a uniquely Paisa-style club.
Remember, Medellin has a vibe like no other place on earth.
Written by: Fiona Davies (extreme pillion rider and adventure travel writer.)
Edited for SEO optimization by Mike Bowley at www.mikedbowley.com
Now let Fiona and Mike take you further into the wonders of Colombia with their articles for Diana and Mike.
The founders of the prominent and independent thinking adventure motorcycle touring operator known globally as MotoDreamer.
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